


I Don't Even Like Coffee

by the_pellow_is_yellow



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, F/F, Sort of a Coffee Shop AU?, it's a slow fic i'm sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:41:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26458870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_pellow_is_yellow/pseuds/the_pellow_is_yellow
Summary: Laura moves across a country she's never lived in to attend her dream school. When, in a normal moment of Laura-esk shenanigans, she spills a drink on a stranger, her freshman experience drifts from the ideal image she had in mind and morphs into an exciting ride that Laura can't help but want more of.
Relationships: LaFontaine/Lola Perry, Laura Hollis/Carmilla Karnstein
Comments: 19
Kudos: 21





	1. Move-In Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the first fic I have ever written, so please work with me(:  
> It's Laura's move-in day for college - in a state on the opposite side of a country she's never lived in. She adjusts to the new climate and people, even making friends on her first day on campus (because what else would you expect from Laura Hollis?).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello! Thank you for taking the time to read my fic! I'm new to writing, so I am absolutely open to criticism and help.  
> Unfortunately, Carmilla is not in chapter one, but she will be here soon!(; For now, enjoy Laura moving in and interacting with her loving father.

Hot. The first thing Laura noted was that Texas summers are definitely hot. Growing up in Canada meant summers were mostly cool and enjoyable. Here, however, the air is dry and harsh; the sun beats down on her skin in an almost unrelenting fashion. It burns, and it's definitely annoying, but every now and then a cool breeze flows through that makes every second in the harsh sun seem almost worth it. Maybe she can get used to it, she thinks.

The second thing she notices is how beautiful the city is. She's only been here maybe twenty minutes, having just driven into town, but almost every corner they pass seems to have a new statue or piece of art; every building adorned with eye-catching colors and an intriguing story that she can't fully understand in the few seconds she's able to see it, but every fragment feels like another piece of the puzzle in the mystery that is her new home. From what she's heard and seen in pictures, campus is even better. There's art at every turn, and apparently some of it is hidden in plain sight; benches in the shape of various punctuation and structures that are so meticulously put together that they're only truly seen from the perfect angle. She makes it a priority on her mental checklist to find every art piece she can.

They soon pass the first sign indicating campus is coming up and Laura is practically vibrating in her seat. Her father chuckles.

"How ya feelin', kiddo?" He gives her a playful side-eye, letting out a hearty laugh when she squeals in response.

"Amazing!" Her open window makes the wind seem almost too loud in the car, but her excitement easily overpowers it. "I've never been more excited!"

A second sign comes and goes and Laura's joy is almost palpable. Campus finally comes into view and she can't stop herself from gawking at just how beautiful it actually is. The grass is green and she can already see some of the large statues scattered across the lawns of the various buildings. People are walking in every direction, some with a purpose and others who seem to just be enjoying the experience. They all seem so comfortable.

Finally, they reach their turn. They pull into the entrance, slowing to a stop when the man in the booth holds a hand out. He gives a warm welcome and asks if they're here for move-in, to which Laura nods with barely contained giddiness. The man laughs, wishes them good luck and sends them on their way with a gentle pat of the car roof.

They pull away and, finally, they are on campus. It takes some navigating and a few wrong turns, but eventually they reach Laura's dorm building. It's large and has branches that flare out like wings. She guesses the other side probably looks the same, and a quick drive to the large parking lot at the back of the building proves her assumption correct.

Parking is a nightmare, obviously. They drive around a little bit, searching for a free space, but today seems to be the day that the bulk of students chose to move in. They have no luck at first, but a car soon pulls out of a second row slot just as they pull up behind and the newly freed space is easy enough to whip into.

Papa Hollis barely has any time to put the car in park before Laura is hopping out and bouncing around in excitement. The doors to the building are open and the line of people outside doesn’t look like it’s any better inside. The wait is worth it, though. She’s waited this long, another hour or two can’t hurt.

They enter the building and immediately someone greets them. She has bright, natural red hair that curls into beautiful spirals around her head and the kindest eyes Laura Hollis thinks she’s ever seen. The woman introduces herself as Lola Perry, one of the resident’s assistants for the building, and explains that there is another line in a room to their left for the students, and the line around them is actually for the parents signing up to rent a moving cart. At this, Papa Hollis nudges Laura with a ‘have fun’ expression and chuckles nervously as he quickly places himself at the end of the line. Perry, as she asked Laura to call her, guides Laura into the other room and explains every station and their order. The instructions are simple enough and Laura thanks Perry, who gives a wide smile and a quick “Of course, dear” in return before walking back out the door, no doubt to ease the mind of another nervous freshman.

Laura quickly makes her way through the stations, easily filling out any paperwork they hand her and promptly handing it back in to the smiling employee at the following station. Soon enough she’s handed a room inspection paper and a small manila envelope containing two sets of keys and a slip of paper with her mail combination and box number. Items in hand, she walks out into the foyer and scans the winding line for her father. When she doesn’t see him, she decides to check outside.

Finding him outside is easy enough when he’s already at the car, audibly struggling to lift a very large, very stuck box out of the trunk and into an already half-full moving cart. Laura watches for a second as he struggles, silently musing at his futile attempts to extract the box from the packed clutter of the car. He gives one last tug and everything around the box suddenly gives, his arms reflexively yanking the box into his chest. The sound he makes causes Laura to burst into a fit of laughter and he chuckles at the fact that he was caught. She helps him load the rest of the trunk into the cart (“I can’t believe it all fits!” he pridefully says as he sets the last item down on top) and they push the heavy cart toward the entrance.

Laura’s room is on the other half of the building, so they awkwardly excuse themselves through the crowd of parents and stray students to the mostly-empty hallway leading around the building. When they reach the other side, the new foyer is much less packed. There’s plenty of people, but no one seems to be in anyone’s way.

This is the point when Laura encounters her first problem. Her room is on the second floor, but there’s not an elevator in sight. The hallway on her left is easily visible through the mostly glass door, and she can tell from her current position that she won't find an elevator down there. She leaves her dad with the cart and walks past the lounging area on her right to the glass door of the mirrored hallway. The building's shape makes sense now - these are obviously the branches. And, even better, she can see the elevator! Laura reaches for the handle and tugs before remembering her key card.

The key card that she left in her bag. That she forgot in the car.

To be fair, she thinks, she was too excited to remember something as trivial as a backpack when she was finally moving into her first dorm room!

Her father sees her walking back and asks, "What happened? Can't get in?"

"Hah… no… see, I may or may not have-"

"You forgot your ID, didn't you?" He smirks as his daughter turns pink and gives a light chuckle.

"Uh… yeah." Her face scrunches in a playful guilt.

He laughs. "Well, here's the keys. Go and get it, kiddo. You got things to do!"

"Back in a sec!" She grabs the keys and takes off down the hallway, maneuvering her way out of the building.

Laura reaches the car and quickly grabs her bag out of the floorboard, scanning for anything else she may have missed then closing and locking the door. Now with a triumphant smile on her face, she heads for the building - and walks directly into someone else.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I was so ready to get back inside that I must not have been paying attention and I didn't see you and there I went walking right into you and I'm really sorry!" Laura pushes out her apology with one breath and the person seems almost impressed.

"It's no big deal, no harm done." They say, holding back laughter. They run their fingers through their short red hair as they ask, "You here for move-in?"

Laura grins. "I am! Tate Hall, on the other side!"

"Ah, Tate. Home of the party-goers and wild-childs. You'll have fun." They can't help but laugh this time as Laura's features slide into a pool of concern and what seems to be a hint of fear. "I'm just messing with you, Frosh. This is one of the more tame buildings. To be honest with you, not much really happens here."

At this, Laura visibly relaxes. "Holy Hufflepuff," she laughs, "you really had me for a second there!" They share a chuckle and she decides this is a great time to make a new friend. "I'm sorry again for running into you," she says, bringing her hand up, "I'm Laura Hollis!"

"Lafontaine," they say, returning the gesture, "but you can call me Laf." They smile and Laura knows they're going to get along great. "Well, I gotta get back inside. You wanna walk together?"

"Yeah, absolutely!" Laura beams.

They approach the entrance and Laf strides to the door to open it. As they do, Laura notices a button on their backpack - a small enamel pin of the non-binary flag.

"Hey! I have a button like that, too!" She pulls her bag up to show the small lesbian flag pin to Laf.

If Laura couldn't tell that Laf liked her before, she definitely could now.

"Ayy, that's awesome!" They grin.

The pair walk inside and immediately the curly haired ginger walks briskly to them. Laf grins wider, if that’s even possible, as Perry greets them with a beaming smile. Laura can tell from 3 feet away, thinks she could tell from 30 feet away, that these two have a thing. She isn’t sure what kind of thing, whether it be friends or maybe more, but whatever it is, it is strong, and she knew right away that it was something she wanted with someone, too.

The three stand and chat for a few minutes before Laura excuses herself to run back to her father, who she may or may not have forgotten about… _At least it was because I was making friends_ , she thinks. She reaches her father and, after an exchange of an apologetic smile and a raised eyebrow coupled with the tiniest tinge of a frown, they are finally headed for the elevator.

The cart barely fits and the small wooden elevator smells like paint. Papa Hollis pushes the second floor button and the frame shakes to life with a rattle as if it hadn’t been used all day. _That’s… promising_.

But, the box makes it to the next floor in one piece and the doors open without too much of a hassle, so she’s not all that worried. Her room is to their right, down the other hallway, and from what she can tell, every door has name tags.

They reach her door, the first in the hallway, and Laura was right - every door had a hand-crafted name tag for each roommate.They were poke-balls with their names written across the red part. Luckily, because the blond had been able to secure a spot on the second floor, she only had one roommate rather than two or even three. Her tag was on the right, and her roommate Betty's was on the left.

She unlocks and opens the door to an empty room. _Looks like I'm first_. Laura surveys the room, taking note of where everything is. It's not the largest, but it seems comfortable enough for two people. There are two desks in the front, right next to each other, and a door to the right. _The bathroom, probably - which, still can't believe that's included_. On the right most wall is Laura's bed and on the left is Betty's. She turns and passes the wardrobe on the back wall to walk into the tiny little "kitchen" area in the back left corner. There isn't much room at all, but she knows she can make it work.

She hears her father shuffle the cart through the door and into the center of the room. "Alright, kiddo. We have about 30 minutes to get this thing back down to the lobby, so we might as well get started." He eyes everything in the wagon, already knowing that they might cut it a little close. Laura agrees and together they begin to unload all of her things onto her side of the room.

Once the cart is empty and most of her stuff is put away, Laura stands back and lets out a deep breath, her hands on her hips. Papa Hollis comes up beside her and settles an arm over her shoulders, looking around.

"Well, it's not very big…" he finally says.

"No, but I can make it feel like home." She smiles up at her father. He gives her a playful, calculating look, then leans in and wraps her in a typical father bear-hug.

"Don't get too comfortable, you gotta come back at some point."

She can hear the tears in his voice before they even spill, and it tugs on her heart strings. Suddenly she's crying too and gripping him back and yeah she was excited to move out and be on her own but damn, she is really, really going to miss her father.

They break away after a minute and share a teary laugh. He looks at the wagon and sighs. "I better take this back down. You should stay up here and finish unpacking, you still have a bit to do." Laura wanted to walk him down, but she knows he doesn't want her to see him crying again when he leaves, so she agrees.

"Remember," he says, "I'll only be a phone call away. I am always here for you. No matter what."

Laura smiles and she can feel more tears coming to her eyes. "I know. I love you, dad."

"I love you too, Laura. Please be safe." And with that, he gives her one last hug, kisses her on the temple, and drags the cart out of the room.

The door closes and she sits on her freshly made bed. Looking around, she sighs. _And so it begins_ , she thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! Like I said, this is my first time writing a fic, so I know it was bumpy, but I'm trying my best and improving as I go! I don't know when chapter two will be up because I'm a college student, but I will be working on it every chance I get(:  
> Thanks once again!!


	2. Well how 'bout that

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura just wanted some doughnuts, ya know? How was she supposed to know a beautiful woman with specific clothing tastes was going to be within bumping distance? (and wHo KnEw Laf was so quippy)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayo Hello! I am so sorry this took me forever to put up! School became really busy and then mayyyyhaps I forgot about the fic for a bit... but I'm back! I really am going to try to upload more now that I have a break from school. This chapter is a little on the shorter side, but once I get back in the groove of things the words should start to flow better (hopefully). Thank y'all for sticking with me and for all of your support!

“Oh my god it is so HOT.”

“Aw, cheer up, Frosh. We’re almost there.” Laf raises their eyebrows at Laura, the shorter girl gulping down half of the water from her metal bottle.

“I don’t know if I’m going to make it, Laf. I might melt into a puddle of Laura goop before I get to the door.” She uses her hand to wipe at her forehead and grimaces as she pulls it away, shaking it to get the loose drops of sweat off before wiping her hand on her shorts. "Seriously, how do you handle this so well? You look like you're taking a stroll through the park."

“Hey, at least it’s only 102 today.”

" _ ONLY _ ?! Laf, I am  _ LITERALLY _ dissolving. Hey! It's not funny!" Laura stops as Laf continues laughing.

"Come on, Laur. It's not that bad. You're just not used to it yet."

"Yeah, yeah, you said that last week, and yet here I am: dehydrating as we speak! Five more minutes and I’ll be a prune!" At this, Laf cackles and Laura can't help but join in this time. "Okay, fine. It's not that bad. But can we please go inside so I can breathe again?"

"Sure thing, Frosh." They say with a grin, chuckling once more. As the pair nears the entrance of the Union Building, Laura visibly relaxes.

After another minute of walking (what might as well have been a decade for Laura) they reach and open the doors and both sigh in relief as the cool air rushes to greet them.

"Finally!" Laura says.

Laf grins and replies, “Hey, look at that! You’re still Laura shaped. Who’da thought, huh?” Laura smiles and bumps Laf with her shoulder before moving farther into the building.

“We’re meeting Perry at the Bistro, right?” Laura looks at the entrance to the coffee shop as they get closer. There’s not that many people here today, which is weird, she thinks, because this is one of the most popular places on campus.  _ I’m not complaining, though. _

“Yeah, she’ll be here soon. Someone probably held her up at the dorms.”

Perry, it turns out, is actually Laura’s floor don. Her room is just down the hall, so as the first week of school came and went, they started spending more time together. She, Perry, and Laf would meet up in either Perry or Laura’s dorm, occasionally leaving campus to hang out at Laf’s apartment, and would study or have game nights. They found that they all worked really well together, even if they each had different majors and interests.

“There she is!” Laura looks up as Laf starts to wave across the crowds of people walking past the shops. She can see, about two shops down, another hand popping up and waving back.  _ Why are all of my friends so tall… _

Perry reaches them, a wide smile across her face. She walks up to Laf and takes their pinky in hers, standing beside them, and suddenly Laf has a grin to match. “Good morning Laura, Lafontaine. How are you two doing today?”

“Pretty good.” Laura and Laf say at the same time. They give each other a playful glare and Laf responds, “Gimme back my brain cell!” to which Laura smiles and replies, “No, heart.” Perry shakes her head at the antics but her smile stays firmly in place.

“Come on you goons, the lines aren’t going to get any shorter.” Perry says, gently shooing Laura and lightly pulling Laf into the cafe.

“Goons, huh? That’s a new one,” Laf says, “I call being Goon 1!” They look at Laura, who is smiling.

“You definitely are Goon 1, I can’t argue there.” Laura laughs as a look of realization crosses Laf’s features. They pull a fake pout and Laura can’t help but shake her head and let her smile grow. “Hey, someone’s gotta be first, and you’re pretty great at being great.”

Laf’s pout quickly switches to a grin. “Hey, thanks, Frosh. You’re right, I  _ do _ make a great Goon 1,” they wrap an arm around the shorter girl’s shoulders, “and you make an even better Goon 2.”

The three wander around the Bistro, looking for something that will satisfy today’s craving. Laura is quickly drawn to the doughnut rack and spends a few minutes deciding. Eventually, she chooses one chocolate covered doughnut and one glazed blueberry doughnut.  _ Perfect. A tasty balance of sweet and fruity. The blueberries are healthy… enough. It counts. Somehow. Probably. Hopefully... _

She walks over to the counter as she continues her mental blueberry debate, not really paying attention to the people already at the registers. As she makes her way to the second line, the person in front walks away and it’s Laura’s turn to step up. She - somehow - notices and, when she tries to hurry to the register, accidentally shoulder clips someone moving from the other line.

“Oh! I am so, so sorry! Ah, shoot! Your coffee! Aw man I’m so sorry here let me help you clean it up!” She quickly grabs a handful of napkins from the counter and starts dabbing the cotton of the other person’s shirt. “Gosh I can’t believe I did that I really am sorry I wasn’t paying attention an-” Laura cuts herself short as she looks up and into the (slightly amused) face of the stranger.

“You know, I was going to be upset, but seeing as you might be sweeter than those doughnuts you’re holding, I think I’ll let it pass today.” The raven-haired girl looks at Laura with a teasing smirk, amused by the effect she seems to have on the smaller girl. Laura stammers, trying to find the words that seem to have lodged themselves in her throat.  _ I didn’t know it was physically  _ **_possible_ ** _ to be that attractive… _ The taller woman (it’s only, like, an inch, but still) chuckles and her smirk grows. “Relax, cupcake. It’s fine, really. A little coffee never hurt anybody.”

Laura comes to her senses and manages to work a few words into a comprehensible order. “Uh… yeah… heh, well it’s uh, it’s definitely better to drink it than to, uh, wear it, you know?” She gestures to the other girl’s shirt. “I really am sorry. Here, I’ll buy you a new one! What kind was it?”

“I’ll tell you what. I don’t have much time left before class, and I definitely need to change my shirt, so how about I meet you here again tomorrow, same time, and I’ll take you up on your offer?”

Aaand cue the next round of mental short circuiting. “Oh, y-yeah! That works! This time tomorrow, got it!”  _ Calm DOWN, Hollis! _

The woman almost smiles, but catches herself and easily slips back into her relaxed features. “Great. See you then, cutie.” She allows the corner of her lips to curl just a little more as she goes to move past Laura, who definitely, absolutely noticed. Her own features slide into a grin, then into a look of confusion as she realizes something.

As the woman makes it to the exit, Laura twists around and calls out to her, “Wait! I, uh, I never got your name…”

This time, she does smile. “Tomorrow.” Then, with a wink, she turns and leaves the cafe.

As confusing as that was, Laura can’t help but let another grin spread across her face. Sure, she did really want to know the mystery woman’s name, but  _ damn, what a way to keep someone on their toes. _

After remembering her breakfast and that she is indeed still technically in line (thanks mostly in part to the cashier  _ ahem _ -ing her), she pays for her things and finds Laf and Perry just outside the exit. Perry, thankfully, is doing a decent job of not letting on that they saw anything. Laf, however…

“Well how ‘bout that. Good to see you again, crushes-on-leather-pants. Thought you might have forgotten us for a second there.” Their face can be described with a single word:  _ smug. _

“I do  _ not _ have a crush on her! I just met her!” Laura flushes.

“I know. You don’t even know her name. Doesn’t stop you from going all googly-eyed, though.” If smug had a physical embodiment…

Laura lets out a small groan and scrunches her face. “God, I don’t even know her  _ name _ .” Then the rest of Laf’s words process and, “Hey! I was  **not** googly-eyed! I was completely normal-eyed, thank you very much.”

“Whatever you say, Frosh. But your eyes speak for themselves and they were shoutin’. I think even Canada might know you have a new crush-that-isn’t-a-crush.” They were grinning ear to ear at this point, having the time of their life poking fun at their friend. “I didn’t know you were into leather. Learn something new every day, huh.”

With another exaggerated groan, Laura buries her head in her hands (as best you can with a paper bag in one of them) and playfully knocks shoulders with Laf as she pushes past them and Perry. “Come on, Goon 1. We’re gonna be late for class.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking around! As always, your support is appreciated! I probably never would have kept up my writing if I hadn't received all of those positive comments, so a big thanks to everyone for those. As for comments and kudos and such in general, they aren't necessary but are definitely appreciated.
> 
> Sorry that this chapter was so short (also sorry if it seems rushed)! I'm really trying my best so future chapters will hopefully see improvement. Thanks again, I'll see y'all later!


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